Pages

Friday, January 6, 2012

Dark Chocolate AND Another Birthday!

Since today is my birthday (and yesterday was our anniversary and the day before was Breezy's birthday...Whew!), I thought it would be great to have Mari McCarthy share another guest post with us!

But first, I want to share a quick review of her DARK CHOCOLATE FOR THE JOURNALER'S SOUL.

To be honest, when I first discovered that Mari had put together some women discussing the whatwhenwherewhyhowtos of journaling, I thought, "How good can this actually be?"

I mean, seriously, just some women saying, "I journal?"

Guess what? WRONG. Again. No surprise there, eh?

It was quite interesting reading all the different reasons and methods of journaling.

Women are learning who they are through journaling. They are working through various issues of all sorts and intensity levels. They are writing morning, noon, and/or night. They are writing a little. Or a lot. They are sorting out emotions and making spiritual connections to themselves. Journaling is providing them with a safe place to vent. To 'say' anything that is on their mind without fear of judgement.

Ok, ok. Y'all know how important I believe journaling to be. But now you can read the opinions of others and get an even better idea on it. PLUS, you might just find some inspiration!

AND NOW, Mari's guest post:

Why Do I Always ______? Use Journaling to Find Out!

by Mari L. McCarthy

You may think that a journal is a notebook in which you write down what happens to you. This is true sometimes, but there are countless other uses for journaling, as well. Like figuring things out that tend to elude you.

You know what I mean: the big questions of your life, like:

·Why am I unhappy?

·What does it all mean?

·Is there a God?

·How can I get more love?

·Why do I always screw up/ trip over things/ get mad/ feel anxious/ say stupid stuff/ fall in love with the wrong type/ hurt the one I love?

You can create a journal which becomes your daily opportunity to reflect on such questions, to have a chat with your inner self. If you are honestly seeking answers, your journal is a likely place to find them.

Taking the time for this kind of reflection – not just thinking, but writing or otherwise recording on paper the contents of your reflections – becomes an efficient therapeutic process that brings answers and improvements quickly.

Say, for instance, you ask yourself, "Why do I always spend too much when I go shopping?" Your journaling process might be something like the following:

·Dedicate a notebook to the issue, writing your question out at the top of the first page.

·Decide to devote the first ten minutes of your day, or your lunch hour, or your bus ride or whatever to writing in the journal.

·Describe in detail what happens when you shop: the time, circumstances, the way you feel, everything you can think of that is relevant to the question.

·Let your descriptions be impartial. This is not a confession, nor is it rationalizing. Just the facts, please m'am.

·Besides descriptions, record your feeling responses to what happens when you shop. Have at it with your guilt, your bitterness, your rationalizing in these posts. And write entire entries about one tiny aspect, if you're so inclined.

·Go back every week or so and circle the hot words or phrases you've written: the ones that jump out at you from the page.

·Start weaving deeper explorations of these words or phrases into your ongoing investigations.

·Be sure to reflect, as well, on how the journaling practice itself affects your psycho-spiritual wellness; and on how your perceptions and feelings are affected when you write.

Along the way, you will notice that realizations about your question are manifold. You might suddenly see that there's a connection between your compulsive shopping and some condition of your youth. You might refine your approach to shopping as a result of describing it. You might make lists of alternatives to shopping. You might come to any number of surprising conclusions.

The possible outcomes are endless, but you can be sure the journal will produce new and useful information for you. If you truly want to move forward, and not stay stuck in harmful ways, journaling is the smartest tool I know!

3. I'd like to start journaling because I would like to find out why I'm afraid to fail (and succeed) with my novel writing. Weird, I know, but it bugs the ba-jeebers out of me. I figure that writing it might make me understand it and overcome it.

Hi Pam. Happy Birthday! And Happy Anniversary! I'm late on both counts because I'm on a blogging break right now. Just thought I'd take a peek this morning as the dogs got me out of bed very early (for me)! I would love to be included in the draw, please. I don't journal but think I might be persuaded to start. Have a great weekend! xoxo

Welcome! I'm so glad you're here!

Let's share the laughs of midlife together!

Welcome!

Being a transplant to the low-country of SC for 31 years is still not long enough to be called a ‘benyeh.’ If I stay until I’m dead I’ll probably go a ‘comeyeh’ since I am, originally, ‘from off’ (which is the upstate but, rules you know). By day I take care of my sweet little granddaughter, Baby M and do all those things I did when I was a SAHM raising four daughters which has translated to, ‘by day, I am exhausted.’ By night I blog, blog, blog, and blog some more or I sleep, depending on my level of exhaustion (do they still make Geritol?). I have a very unhealthy addiction to sweets (nearly any kind will do) and all comfort foods not covered under the ‘sweets’ category. I’m known for speaking my mind so, if you don’t want to know, don’t ask me. I love to find the humor in my empty nest life. I live life hard and smack into that brick wall almost daily because I’ve always had to learn the hard way. Why change now? I’m so glad you’ve come to laugh with me as I do this middle age, empty nest thing like a BOSS!

Are y'all familiar with the mess? The one that you're left with when all the kiddos have grown up and moved out? The one that's ...

Copy Right

Copyright

All original content copyright Pam Lofton, 2010-2016. This blog contains photographs and original writing that are property of the blog's author- unless stated otherwise- and are protected under Copyright Law. Any unauthorized attempts to reproduce or use of these photographs or any writing without the permission from this blog's author and link to this blog is strictly prohibited.